


Fallende Blätter

by ninja93



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dark, Drama, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Psychological Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2018-09-11 06:01:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8958067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninja93/pseuds/ninja93
Summary: It is basic strategy to take out the medic first to ensure victory.





	1. Gefallen

Flying with Fareeha was something she looked forward to when they were given missions. The weightless feeling as she began her decent only to be tugged back up by the Valkyrie's lock on the egyptian woman above. She surveyed the battle field from her vantage point while keeping Fareeha powered up. Soldier 76 was further ahead with and Reinhardt, Jesse and Winston were making their way to around to flank the team of talon mercenaries and hopefully end the firefight.

"Its a beautiful day for flying." Angela remarked with a soft smile. Despite the ongoing mission she allowed herself some small pleasure.

Fareeha turned to agree, a smile tugging at her lips only to freeze. A crack of something akin to thunder tore through the air. Angela didn't feel it but she knew she was hit, she could feel her ear piece buzzing as the comms erupted. Wind whipped through her blonde hair as she fell through the sky. Fareeha raced toward her, panic pulling at her features as she managed to wrap her arms around the fallen medic.

They landed roughly, the harsh motion awakening the nauseating pain that throbbed in her chest. Letting out a strangled gasp she gripped at the armor of Fareeha's Raptora suit. Blood stained the front of her own armor, bubbling from the bullet hole on the right side of her chest. Fareeha was saying something, her helmet gone. Angela coughed, blood splattering the already panicked woman's face.

Every breath was a struggle, her right lung collapsing in on itself as negative pressure met positive. Panic settled in her stomach as she tried to listen to what Fareeha was saying. When the other tried to move her she couldn't stop the scream that bubbled up in her throat, a cold shiver running down her spine. Blood dribbled down her chin, her breathing become more rugged and strained by the second. "Nnnno..." She gasps out finally, her hand finding Fareeha's with some difficulty.

Angela knew she was going into shock. Her body was shaking uncontrollably. Her teeth chattering as though they were stuck in a blizzard rather than the warm Mediterranean town they currently occupied. She couldn't think clearly enough to ask where her staff was or why her own nanobots weren't healing the wound, it felt as though someone had stuffed her mind full of cotton.

She squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to open them again. The need for sleep was almost overpowering, its dark tendrils wrapping around her already foggy mind. "An-la... ease stay... th me." With one final shuddering breath she gave up the battle against sleep, blue eyes fluttering shut as her head fell to rest against Fareeha's arm.

* * *

Pain. Unbearable pain. That was all she was aware of when she first came too. Eyes fluttering open only to be blinded by an overhead light. Voices surrounded her but she couldn't make out what they were saying, her tired blue eyes drifting toward the masked face of the person standing beside her head.

Before she really understood what was happening the pain drifted away, taking her consciousness with it.

* * *

The next time she woke up the first thing she was aware of was the constant beeping off to her left side. It kept her grounded as she floated toward consciousness, tired blue eyes fluttering open. The blinding light was gone from overhead, replaced by dimmed florescent lights. She knows she's in the medical wing of Watchpoint: Gibraltar but she can't really wrap her mind around the why.

Why hadn't her nanobots fixed the problem already? Why was the wound still very present in the ache of every breath she took? She was thankful for whomever operated on her for putting her on such heavy painkillers, the dull pain caused by simply breathing was enough to drive her crazy.

"Angela?" A familiar, sleep laden voice says from her right side and she feels a weight shift from her side as Fareeha lifts her head up from where it rested on the bed. She rubs at her eyes, managing a small smile for the blonde doctor who returns it. "How are you feeling?"

"L-Like I've been run over... Multiple times." She croaks, her throat incredibly dry. Fareeha grabs a cup from her bedside table, placing a straw in it she helps her take a few sips before setting it aside.

"You had us all worried, habibi." Fareeha says softly, fingers brushing against Angela's cheek gently. "I thought... I thought I'd lost you." Emotion constricted her throat as she spoke, brown eyes shining with unshed tears. "In my arms. There was nothing I could do."

Angela smiles gently, pressing her cheek against the others palm with a small sigh. "I am here schatz... I am here." She wanted to reach up and comfort her lover but her arms would not cooperate, the muscles far too tired to react to her will. "Ich liebe dich."

"Ya habib Alby. Ya rouhi." Fareeha murmurs in response, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "You should get some rest. We will need to talk about some things when you are feeling better." Angela nods, relaxing back into the pillows with another sigh.

"Will you please hold my hand?" She didn't want to sound childish but she didn't want to be alone either. Feeling the others hand wrap firmly around her own she could finally relax fully, sleep claiming her quicker than she expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> Ich liebe dich- I love you
> 
> Ya habib alby. Ya rouhi- Love of my heart. You are my soul.
> 
> Fallende Blatter- Falling Leaves
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Erholen

Recovery was slow. Painfully slow. Sitting up in the first week after was no small feat even with pillows supporting her back. Fareeha refused to allow her to work or do research which didn't help her boredom either. Laid up and in pain Angela resigned herself to taking the long road to healing.

After nearly two weeks of torturous boredom and begging for something to work on Fareeha finally relented, letting her have a holopad and some of her research notes. Now she was free to try and find a clue as to why her nanobots weren't working properly. Tapping away at the holopad screen for hours helped take her mind off the pain that radiated from the healing wound. Fareeha would frown but she kept her thoughts to herself, tapping away at her own holopad.

Week three rolled around and Angela wanted to die. A lung infection, of all things, had stalled her progress. The fever had zapped her energy and will to work out a solution, her holopad laying at her side. She couldn't seem to catch her breath, her fingers curling in the bedspread.

Angela had talked Fareeha into sleeping in her own bed for the night so that she could get some proper rest. So when she came back in the morning with a tray of breakfast and a soft smile she wasn't expecting to find Angela curled up and coughing for all she was worth. Her blankets had been kicked away deemed too suffocating to be around her legs.

Sitting the tray on a nearby table Fareeha sat on the side of Angela's bed, laying a gentle hand on the other woman's cheek. "You're burning up habibti." She murmurs as she sends Winston a quick message. Angela reached out toward the sound of Fareeha's voice, whimpering as her hands found the others arm. "Shhshsh, I've got you." Curling her hands around Angela's trembling fingers she couldn't stop the tears from welling in her eyes at the sight of the doctors suffering.

Winston arrived soon after he received her message, starting Angela on a new antibiotic and something to help reduce her fever. He settled a nasal cannula just under her nose to help supply some oxygen for her in the hopes it might help ease her breathing. "Perhaps I should have started this treatment in the beginning." He mumbles, checking her vitals before heaving a great sigh.

Over the course of the next week and a half Angela fought the lung infection. When it was over she was far too weak to even try to continue her research. She lay curled up in Fareeha's arms, her head laying in the crook of the taller woman's neck. They had moved from the medical bay into their shared quarters midway through the week, Fareeha felt she might be more comfortable in her own bed even if the monitoring systems followed.

She knew she should be focusing on sitting up and moving to help her lung repair but she was far too tired to even entertain the thought. It was going to be a long road to recovery... Shifting, she hid her face in Fareeha's arm with a small sigh.

* * *

 

After 3 months of recovery Angela was ready to get back into the swing of things. Sitting in her lab she began to run tests on a few of her blood samples to see how the nano bots were fairing after being inactive for so long. With a small hum she found that they were intact but not fully operational.

Shifting to run one nano bot through the computer she found exactly what she was looking for. She recognized the tech as something Ana used mixed with a thread of code to keep the nano bots inactive. With a sigh she shut her computer down, shifting around her lab to gather what she would need to change out her current inactive bots with new ones.

It wasn't a fun or enjoyable process and she would have to be sure to rewrite their code to make sure that she'd never have to take the long suffering road again. One she wouldn't even have had to suffer if she were allowed to enter her lab at some point during her recovery. With a small frustrated sigh settle back in at her computer.

She could have sworn she had shut her computer down.


	3. Steuern

A week had passed since the transfusion of the newly recoded nanobots and Angela still felt as though she might throw up if she so much as moved out of her bed. Her head was killing her, the same splitting headache knocking against her skull for days on end no matter how much Advil she took.

Fareeha was at her side for the first couple of days before being called on for a mission. Now she was left to fend for herself in the near empty Watchpoint. She was sure Winston was still there, calling the shots for their mission from his computer to ensure nothing went wrong.

Curled up with her pillow hugged tightly to her chest she heaved out a miserable sigh. The sound of her door swishing open caught her attention but she didn't dare open her eyes to look. The light had a way of amplifying her headache tenfold. "Do you need something Winston?" She grumbles only to be met with a giggle she's never heard before.

"Oh I do need something amiga. How nice of you to ask." An accented voice says before Angela's world goes black.

* * *

 

Angela stirs, her body flinching as she comes to. It took her a moment to realize she was sitting upright in a chair, another to find out her wrists and ankles were bound to the chairs arms and legs. Forcing her eyes open she looks around the dimly lit room in hopes of finding any clues as to where exactly she was.

She was in a small concrete cell, sat at a stainless steel table. With a cringe she noted blood stains marring the floor around her. Medical instruments were lined up neatly on the far side of the table and Angela knew without a doubt that they would be used on her in a very non medical way.

Without warning the door slammed open causing her to flinch, a shiver running down her spine. A masked man stepped into the room followed closely by a short woman. The woman was interesting to say the least in her purple themed getup, half of her head shaved to make way for faintly glowing strips along the side of her head. She smiled as she set up a computer on the far side of the table, waving at the captive doctor.

Angela swallowed thickly past the panic in her throat, willing herself to speak. "Why am I here?"

"I'm so glad you asked Doctor Ziegler!" The woman said with a grin, "We've really needed a medic you see and since you are the best there is we picked you! How lucky you are."

"And who is this 'we'?"

"Talon of course. Who else?" The accent, Angela finally noted, was spanish. It reminded her of Gabriel.

Steeling herself for her next question she glowers at the woman, now seated, across from her. "What makes you think I will join you?"

The woman laughed, tapping absently at the keyboard in front of her. "Well you made it pretty easy actually." Hitting a finally key she turned to smirk at the shocked medic.

Angela felt as though she had been kicked in the gut, her vision tunneled as she jerked against her bounds involuntarily. Gasping for breath she tried to regain control of herself but it was no use. "W-What have you... What have you done to me?" She asks through gritted teeth, cloudy blue eyes struggling to find the purple themed woman.

"Everyone can be hacked Doctor. Your nanobots just make it that much easier don't they." She says with a sly smile, hitting another button. Angela screamed.

She didn't stop screaming..


	4. Abwesend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Somewhat torturey toward the end.

Fareeha made her way toward the locker room to discard her armor before taking a nice long shower. Their mission had been a success and the Talon forces in Barcelona had been defeated. It was odd that they didn't run into any of the more notable figures like Reaper or Widowmaker but she decided to count her blessings. 

Shutting the shower off she quickly got dressed before heading into the hangar to clean her rocket launcher. She didn't want to return to the hangar later to deal with the carbon build up, nor did she want to deal with the possible blow back of a rocket mid-battle. A clean rocket launcher was a happy rocket launcher after all.

Her mind began to wonder as she cleaned, her thoughts turning to her once again bedridden lover. She hated seeing the other suffer and it made her heart ache to be away. Angela was one of the most selfless people Fareeha had ever known, giving more than her fair share to such an unforgiving world. She didn't deserve to suffer.

She would have to do something to make up for being away. As she finished with her weapon a thought came to mind. With a sigh she locked her now clean launcher up, washing her hands in the utility sink before making her way out of the hangar with a small smile. She hoped Angela had gotten her appetite back while she was away. 

Fareeha hummed softly as she made a bowl of sweetened oatmeal, dropping a few strawberries in to give it a little extra taste. Hopefully it wouldn't be too hard on Angela's stomach. Once the oatmeal was finished she boiled some water for tea.

"Whatcha doin'?" Lena's voice catches her by surprise as she pulls a box of tea down from one of the higher shelves, she nearly drops it.

Setting the box on the counter she glances at Lena, "Making Angela something for lunch. How is your ankle?" She asks dropping a teabag into a mug.

Lena sighs, hopping up to sit on the counter with some difficulty, "Well I went to see Angie but she wasn't in her office so I popped by your room and she wasn't there either so I went to ask Winston where she was and he said he didn't know and now I'm here and my ankle still hurts." She says in one breath, "I think its twisted."

"Wait. She wasn't in my room or her office?" Fareeha looks over to the brit with a small frown, pausing as she poured hot water into the mug. 

"Nope." Lena said, popping the 'p' in the word for emphasis. 

Fareeha shut the stove top off, leaving the oatmeal and tea to go on a search of her own. Lena followed after her struggling to keep up with the taller woman's stride. "What's wrong luv?"

Their first stop was her room. Fareeha scanned the room quickly, checking the bathroom before returning to the bedroom with a frown. Nothing seemed out of place. Their next stop was Angela's office. As she searched for any clue as to where Angela had disappeared to her eyes fell on the open case just behind her messy desk. Her staff was missing...

"Lena?" Her voice startles the brit who in turn accidently knocks over a stack of papers. Fareeha turns to look at her with a small frown, ignoring the mess. "Did you take her staff?"

Lena cocks her head to the side, one eyebrow raised. "Of course not. I'd rather be healed than beaten with a bloody staff." 

"She wouldn't beat you with it." Fareeha says shaking her head at the others exaggeration. "Lets go ask Winston if he can scan the Watchpoint."

"Good plan." Lena says with a grin once again following after Fareeha. "I mean I don't really think I should be walking all over with a twisted ankle but now I'm curious. The doc is only ever in two places."

* * *

 

Angela welcomed unconsciousness. It was a sweet release from the pain the plagued her body for hours and hours, she'd lost track of how long exactly. She couldn't even remember being anywhere but the chair she was currently strapped to, her wrists and ankles bruised and bleeding from her struggles.

"Sleeping again dear doctor? Sit her up we aren't done." The woman's voice cut through her like a knife, pulling her back toward consciousness. Rough hands forced her up in her seat, panic settling like ice in her gut. "Now lets try this again. What is your name?"

Swallowing hard she tried to think past the splitting headache pounding relentlessly against her temples, "M-My name... My name is..." A scream tore through her already raw throat as she struggled once more against her bounds. As soon as the pain came it was gone, leaving her breathless.

"Once more amiga. What is your name?"

"I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW PLEASE STOP!" She pleads, tears slipping down her cheeks. When the pain doesn't come she dares to look up at the woman who sat across from her.

She was smiling...


	5. Entführt

The woman laughed, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. "This is beautiful. I can't believe how easy this has been. Its only been a day and a half and I've already rewired that little egg between your ears. Well lets hope you haven't forgotten how to be useful." With a few more key strokes the woman smiled, "I guess you need a name huh."

She sits back in her seat, propping her feet up on the table with a thoughtful expression, "Hmmm. How about... die Ärstin! The Doctor!" Jumping out of her seat in her excitement she grins, leaning across the table. "How do you like it, Ärstin?" 

'Ärstin' nods quietly, her lower lip quivering. She couldn't bring herself to look the woman in the eyes. "Alright take her to her cell for some rest. We'll work on this mousy attitude tomorrow. That's not really going to fly here amiga." 

The man that hovered behind her constantly untied her wrists and ankles, jerking her out of her seat. Her knee's wobbled as they were forced to support her weight, threatening to give out on her at any second as he practically dragged her out of the room and down a dimly lit hall. It didn't take long for him to stop in front of a rusty steel door, pushing it open. Before she could really look at the cell the man shoved her inside slamming the door shut. She heard the lock slide into place and knew there was no way out of her new prison. 

The flickering light overhead showed her that there was a dingy cot in one corner of the small cell, the mattress stained terribly. In the opposite corner sat a bare silver toilet, a sink built into the top of it. Her breath hitched in her throat as her emotions threatened to over come her, pressing a hand to her mouth she tried to hold back the tide. Forcing herself to her feet she wobbled over to the cot, flopping face first into the disgusting mattress.   
Unconsciousness was a blessing...

* * *

 

"What do you mean she isn't here?" Fareeha asks, her heart constricting in her chest as Winston spoke.

He gestured to a scan of the Watchpoint with a small frown, "I had Athena scan the entirety of Gibraltar for Doctor Ziegler and there is no sign of her anywhere."

"Well she couldn't have just left without you knowing! We had the only jet." Fareeha reasons, crossing her arms. Lena watches the two for a moment before turning her eyes back to the scan with a frown. Typing in a few commands she turns the time back on the search trying to pinpoint the last time Angela was in the Watchpoint. "Besides that she was sick there's no way she would just leave on a whim." Fareeha continues, pacing as her worry for the doctor skyrockets. 

Lena's frown deepens as she finds the last known presence of the doctor, sliding the time forward just a few minutes. "She disappears. She just disappears." The brit says, her head tilting in confusion. "Winston, Fareeha look!" She shouts, interrupting the two as they discussed where the doctor could have possibly gone and how. "About two days ago! She was in your room and then bam!" 

"Athena check the security footage in Doctor Ziegler's office at this time stamp." Winston demands, taking over the keyboard once more. Lena and Fareeha hover over his shoulder as he pulls up a few video frames from the same time stamp only to find nothing but static. With a hum of discontent the large ape adjusts his glasses. "This is not good. Not good at all. Lena can you go find 76 I think that Dr. Ziegler may have been," He glances back at Fareeha his brow raised and eyes shining with worry, "Abducted." 

 


	6. Vertrauen

Two months. It had been two months since Angela's disappearance and despite countless man hours the search had gone cold. There was no sign of Overwatch's resident doctor anywhere. Fareeha sat in the hold of the jet in her full armor, an unmovable statue. She had fallen back to the mechanical soldier she was when she first arrived at Overwatch, speaking when spoken too and completing missions without complaint. She was a shell of the woman she had been and the longer the search went on the more closed off she became. 

Lena's voice crackled over the intercom as she guided the jet toward Kings Row, "Ten minutes to arrival." Even the bubbly brit had lost some of her shine, keeping her usual enthusiasm for anything and everything toned down. 

Soldier 76 shifted in his seat, reading his weapon and doing a few final checks. Jesse snorted, Lena's voice waking him from his nap, he glances around to see what woke him sitting up in his seat. The four were on a mission to observe a possible Talon operation in Kings Row. They had gotten word that there would be an omnic uprising soon and that the dark organization was pulling the strings.  
"Look alive." Jack grumbles, his visor flashing as Lena brings them in for landing. She joins them seconds later, her pulse pistols at the ready. "This is a recon mission only. Do not engage and try not to be seen." He looks at Lena pointedly and she giggles, tucking her pistols away once more. "Radio checks every 10 minutes. We will regroup here in 2 hours. Does everyone understand?" After a chorus of affirmatives the team splits, darting off in different directions.

Fareeha took to the sky, finding a building that would give her a good vantage point on the warehouse they were observing. She settled in with a small sigh, starting a scan of the area. The street between her and the warehouse was bustling with activity, omnics and humans going about their business. She listened in with a sound amplifier trying to catch a conversation or two amongst the sea of voices. 

Before she realized it it was time to check in, Lena's voice chirping over the radio. She was out of breath, her voice apologetic, "Soooooo I know you said specifically not to be seen."

"Tracer. What happened?" 76 growls as Pharah stands. Using Raptora's heads up display she spotted Lena about 20 meters from her current position and moving fast.

"Weeeeeeell I may have sort have been spotted but in all fairnes- WHOA- I'm wearing bloody bright orange tights- Geez WATCH IT!- Honestly 76 my chest decor is a beacon too! Didn't want to point all this out before hand cause I figured you'd already calculated thos-"

"Get to the evac point. Now." Soldier 76 barks, interrupting the brits rambling. "McCree. Pharah. That means you too. We're done here."

With one last look at the warehouse Fareeha turns to make her way back toward the jet, "Rodger."

"Copy that boss." Jesse chimes, a smile in his tone. 

"Bringing a party!" Lena exclaims and Pharah can see the trail of Talon soldiers following after her, bullets whizzing by the brits head. Meeting up with 76 and McCree the three helped to lay down cover fire, driving the enemy troops to cover and allowing Lena a clean getaway. 

"What's all this then?" A new voice asks and Pharah spins to search for the source, eyes searching the area between her team and the ship. It was a woman's voice, lightly accented. It reminded her of Gabriel.

With little warning her armor locks up, her knee's giving out almost immediately. With a cry of surprise she tries to run a diagnostic, her heads up display flashing red for a moment before shifting to purple and then black. A purple sugar skull flashes across the screen. 

"What's wrong Pharah?" Soldier 76 is at her side in seconds looking her over leaving McCree and Lena to lay down suppressive fire. 

Fareeha grits her teeth as she tries to move her arm, "Suits locked up. I don't know what happened it ju-" 

"Just what?" Jack asks, not realizing for a moment that the firing has stopped. 

Lena's voice shakes, "76."

He turns to see what's wrong and freezes almost immediately as his eyes find the woman tending to a fallen Talon soldier. Her hair is jet black, large curled red horns replacing what was once a halo. Her suit is completely different, a mixture of reds and blacks and sharp edges. Nothing like the soft orange and white Valkyrie suit they were accustomed to. A tail swished just under wings of flame completing the over all demonic look the doctor had taken on. "Angela...?" Fareeha whispers, finally finding her voice. 

"Oh my god..." Jack murmurs, the teams shock giving Talon long enough to regroup and start to fire again. "We need to get out of here!" He barks louder than usual, grabbing under one of Fareeha's arms, "Jesse the other arm!" The cowboy is quick to do as he's told and the two drag Fareeha toward the ship. Lena darts ahead to ready the ship for take off, her face pale and hands shaking over the controls. 

"Let go of me! Angela! ANGELA!" Fareeha tries to struggle against them, her locked joints refusing to budge as they pull her onto the ship. The door swishes shut and before she can even try and reason with Lena they are in the air. "Stop! Lena please she's right there please stop!" Jesse and Morrison help her lean up against the wall near the door, the latter removing her helmet.

Jack shakes his head, patting her shoulder as Jesse walks away to give them some privacy. "We are outgunned Fareeha. It is suicide to go in like we are now."

"We can make it work."

"No we can't. You are blinded by this and I need you to calm down. We know where she is now and more importantly we know she's alive." Tears well in her eyes as he speaks, her anger swiftly turning to grief, "She's alive Fareeha and we will get her back. Please trust me." She nods slowly, squeezing her eyes shut and allowing the tears to slip down her cheeks.  
"I trust you..."


	7. Hoffen

Back in her small room at the Talon headquarters Ärztin paced back and forth. There was something about that woman in the blue armor that set her on edge but she couldn't even begin to explain it. It made her head hurt trying to focus on the whispers and incomplete thoughts.

Glancing around the space she looked for anything to distract her from the budding headache. Talon had updated her spartan like living space with a desk and tools to work on her staff and suit. A computer would make her work much easier but Sombra insisted she didn't need it, that any of her programming needs would be done personally by the hacker herself. Ärztin couldn't really bring herself to trust the other woman, the same familiar whispers in the back of her head warning her of some hidden danger in the hacker.

Beside her work space sat a locker for her Imp suit and equipment. She was happy to be out of the suit but she wasn't quite sure why. Having it on felt wrong in one way or another and she couldn't stand to see her own reflection, she had removed the mirror from beside the toilet in the opposite corner.

With a soft sight she sat on the edge of her newly furnished bed. The part of the new renovations she was the most grateful for. The dingy old mattress had been replaced with a newer more comfortable one and she had been provided with a bed set and a pillow. They had even provided her with scrubs to sleep in and she didn't know exactly why that was so comforting but she wouldn't question it.

Laying back on the bed she let loose another sigh. She had already finished tinkering with the staff so there wasn't much else to do. Try not to think and sleep. Giving herself a headache over a random woman on the enemy team wouldn't help her much in the long run and she certainly wouldn't be asking anyone else about her. The threat of reconditioning was often thrown around by Sombra when Ärztin questioned even the smallest things. Even if she didn't have a lot of memory in regard to what reconditioning was she knew she'd rather not go through it again.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Fareeha stretched as Winston pulled the last of her armor free, relishing in the pops and cracks of her tired bones for just a moment. Whatever had been done to her suit couldn't be fixed with a simple turning it off and on again, the system had been completely wiped and would take time to fix. Time she didn't have. She said her thanks to Winston, placing the scattered pieces of her armor in her locker. They had barely made it out of the hangar, her suit far too heavy to be carried far in its entirety without the system supports.

"I heard from 76..." Winston starts, coughing into his large fist. He didn't really know how to start the conversation but Fareeha knew there was no getting out of it when he found a way. He cared. He wasn't the best at reading social ques or situations but his heart was in the right place. Clearing his throat he began again. "I heard from Jack that Angela was spotted in the field... With Talon."

Fareeha sat on the bench in front of the lockers that lined the wall, her helmet in her lap. She still wore her black flight suit, the material bringing her some comfort. "We saw her aiding the enemy. Her suit was completely... It was.." She struggled to find the right words for a moment before shaking her head. "I fear she has been taken in by them in the same way Amélie was." She doesn't look up from her helmet, her tired eyes narrowing as her own words cut deep into her heart.

Winston shifted behind her, adjusting his glasses before placing an overly large hand on her shoulder. "I understand your concern... We are all incredibly worried for Angela but we will get her back and if they have done anything to the doctor's mind we will work to reverse it. Fareeha you have to trust me. You have to trust us. We are family." Squeezing her eyes shut Fareeha listened to him speak, letting his optimism seep into her bones. "Angela would do the same for us." She reaches up to place her hand over his with a sigh.

"Thank you... I didn't know how much in need of a pep talk I was." Fareeha murmurs, shaking her head. "You're right. We'll get her back in one piece and undo whatever they've done." She says more for her own sake than his.


End file.
